May 9, 2010

Chandra and Andy Ramirez eat with their baby, Drew, at Buenos Grill in Reno. Buenos Grill has happy hour that runs from 3:30 to 6 p.m. daily and includes margaritas and microbrews. / David B. Parker/RGJ

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BUENOS GRILL

Address: 3892 Mayberry Drive, in the Mayberry Landing center at West McCarran BoulevardPhone: 775-787-8226Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. SundayPrice range: $2.25 to $14.95Children's menu: YesOn the Web: www.buenosgrill.comEATSFive salsas made fresh daily. Breakfast is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the weekend. Children's menu differs from the usual hot dogs and mac-and-cheese; seven choices are offered, including fish tacos, a bean and cheese burrito and beans and rice ($2.25 to $4.75).SEATSAtmosphere is very family friendly, especially at dinner.TREATSHappy hour runs 3:30 to 6 p.m. daily and includes margaritas and microbrews.

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At Buenos Grill, there's something for everyone, starting with five freshly made salsas at the salsa bar.

For me, beginning the meal with fresh, crisp tortilla chips and salsa is nearly ideal. That would be my entire dinner if I weren't trying to set a good example for the children: my 7-year-old daughter and my two nephews (a little red-headed boy, 11, and a teenager, 17).

Buenos Grill is low-key, its floor comfortably worn by a decade's worth of customers. The walls range from muted shades to orange and red.

Lunchtime finds business people filling the tables, but dinnertime belongs to families.

"We try to make them feel really welcome," said Greg Butler, who owns Buenos Grill with wife, Mimi.

The Butlers opened the grill about 11 years ago. They returned to Reno, where Mimi grew up and Greg attended the University of Nevada, Reno. The family lives in northwest Reno, their children attending Roy Gomm Elementary and Swope Middle schools. They appreciate that much of their business is from families in their neighborhood and the northwest area.

Salsa-licious

My teen nephew hit the salsa bar immediately after placing his order, bringing back salsas for the table. Both boys are content to eat while watching baseball on the televisions.

When the main courses arrive, the kids approach their food in their own ways. The teenager picks up his chicken tacos with both hands and never sets them down again.

The little red-headed boy is more deliberate. He clears the chips off his plate to make room for two Baja fish tacos. He then systematically proceeds to clean his plate of every morsel before diving back into the tortilla chips.

My daughter is more interested in watching the other diners and trying to eat only chips for dinner -- like mother, like daughter. After much haranguing by me, we finally agree on a 5-to-1, bites of cheese quesadilla-to-chip ratio for the remainder of the meal.

Fish taco flair

The restaurant is known for its fish tacos.

"I have always liked Mexican seafood," said Greg Butler, who grew up near the beach in California. "It's always been my favorite kind of food."

The menu features a variety of seafood, including sautéed shrimp tacos, Del Mar Caesar wraps and a Cajun jambalaya wrap with shrimp, spicy sausage and Cajun seasoned rice.

Trying to branch out from my usual chicken tacos, I order two fish tacos, the Baja and the Buenos. The Baja offers fried fish with a sour cream chili sauce. The Buenos fish is charbroiled, with citrus honey butter and a mango salsa so tangy and tasty I could eat it by the spoonful.

All three children display good dining-out manners (whew!), but even less-than-perfect young diners are welcome. Food is served on colorful, sturdy plastic plates, perfect for the junior and casual crowd.

There's no designated bar area, but a TV is set off in an alcove with high tables and tall stools. It's the kind of place that grown-ups like, but also one in which a teenager isn't afraid his friends will see him.

The restaurant also offers outdoor dining on the patio; six tables fit about 50 people.